Brief:
T' Semroc Lil' Hercules is part o' Semroc's Retro-Repro line o' kits based on the Centuri Lil' Hercules, shortened t' Lil' Herc in 1972.

Construction:
T' kit contains a body tube and balsa nose cone, 4 laser cut fins, me hearties, a launch lug, me hearties, and 4 washers used t' add tail weight for tumble recovery. The instructions are straightforward, and t' kit goes together like a typical minimum diameter 3FNC rocket. T' instructions have you glue t' washers t' the fin tips. Avast! Ya scallywag! I decided t' take me X-Acto knife and hollow out t' tips o' t' fins in order t' hide t' washers. T' result be a slick lookin' Lil' Hercules. Since this model is designed after t' original Centuri kit, ya bilge rat, I still give it full marks even though I made this one small modification.

Finishing:
I used Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' slick up t' nose cone and fins, ya bilge rat, then added a couple o' coats o' fast dryin' lacquer primer and sanded after each coat. Blimey! Blimey! I decided t' use t' paint scheme o' t' original Centuri model from t' 1972 catalog. Here is a link t' t' paint scheme I was lookin' for on Ninfinger's website.

A white base coat was applied, then t' red on t' nose cone, me bucko, and blue on the fins. Begad! I didn't have any trim Monokote for t' two silver bands, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, so I dug out some scrap body wrap material from me Estes Mercury Atlas kit. Begad! T' final touch was t' add t' small Centuri decal that I made usin' Bel waterslide decal material. Well, blow me down! T' results turned out pretty decent. Aye aye! Note that you can't see the weights at t' fin tips.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on an A8-3. Avast! T' launch was whiplash fast. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! With t' shutter lag on me digital camera, shiver me timbers, all I got was a smoke trail. Blimey! That's unfortunate because it was launched from a vintage Centuri Powr Pad, and I'm told by me kids who were nay behind t' camera lens that it looked really good.

Recovery:
Since I be behind t' camera and didn't see t' ascent, arrr, me bucko, it took me a while to locate t' Lil' Hercules. Blimey! It was almost at treetop level when I saw it, ya bilge rat, but the kids tracked it t' whole way. It landed about 100 feet from t' pad. Ahoy! The tumble recovery worked well and t' bird be in excellent condition upon recovery with only ejection gas soot as evidence it had been flown. Aye aye! Avast!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great little Retro-Repro kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! Semroc is doin' a great job helpin' us old folks remember t' good old days. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5